Moody’s Analytics, a leading provider of analytics to support risk management, invites US business owners to try the MARQ (Moody’s Analytics Risk Quality) business credit score. The MARQ score is part of Moody’s Analytics’ efforts to equip small businesses with tools to facilitate their growth and access to credit. The MARQ score is available for free at www.MARQscore.com.

Other, smaller companies are helping businesses save time and money with SaaS products. Finagraph promises to "Replace hours of work with 1-click" by helping you find out how your accounting and bank practices are costing you money.

To get the most out of a conference you plan to attend you should always have an idea of what you want to accomplish. For last month’s Sleeter Conference I had a few goals. One was to get some ideas for articles! Others included looking for software that would help my clients, and of equal importance, networking with my peers.

Many business owners find working on their business difficult while working in their business. That’s why Hills Bank is committed to provide quality educational opportunities and services to make business owners feel at ease about their financials.

Hills Bank Finagraph is a new service which provides efficient financial intelligence on-demand, instantly providing you with a snapshot of your company’s financial well-being. Your Finagraph identifies important areas of business you could improve upon, compares your company to industry benchmarks, uncovers potential mis-financing, and analyzes what is happening with your cash in the bank.

Sometimes, finding a balance between work and life comes easier than expected.

James Walter, CEO of Finagraph, said he finds a work-life balance. Sometimes he fears he isn't working enough, but he's happy with the results — both in the company's performance and his team's efforts.

"Generally we all work eight or nine hours a day," he said. "I'm a big believer in that balance, and I support that."

Seattle has a booming startup ecosystem, but the venture capital community hasn’t quite kept up. In fact, most of the funding poured into Seattle’s startups comes from out of the area — specifically Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

James Walter, co-founder of data-analysis startup, Finagraph, is also an angel investor. He said the angel community in Seattle is well-liked by startups for their depth of knowledge and expertise.

If James Walter could go back in time, he would tell his 12-year-old self to relax and slow down.

“I had pretty lofty goals when I was 12. They are taking a lot longer than my 12-year-old self would’ve figured,” Walter said.

Walter is the co-founder and CEO of Finagraph, a company that fills the void between small business owners and lenders. Finagraph grinds the numbers to help small businesses operate as efficiently and profitably as possible.

If James Walter could go back in time, he would tell his 12-year-old self to relax and slow down.

“I had pretty lofty goals when I was 12. They are taking a lot longer than my 12-year-old self would’ve figured,” Walter said.

Walter is the co-founder and CEO of Finagraph, a company that fills the void between small business owners and lenders. Finagraph grinds the numbers to help small businesses operate as efficiently and profitably as possible.

Finagraph started working with BBI about one year ago. Both parties shared a vision for how lenders and business owners can understand business financials in a more complete manner. BBI tackled the issue by training lenders and business owners while Finagraph created technology to make the numbers easier to get, and easier to understand.